Chapter 510: Queueing for Approval

Lu Cheng thought he had come early enough; after finishing breakfast, he timed it to arrive at the office precisely at eight, just to meet Section Chief Lin for the first time.

He didn't expect that when he arrived, several people had already arrived early and were already lining up.

Zheng Changzhang walked toward the courtyard while saying, "These are all the heads of other Steel Factories, also here to approve iron ore."

Lu Cheng followed inside, his face full of confusion: "Zheng Changzhang, after all you're all heads of your respective Steel Factories; it's not that there's a special reception, but it's not necessary to line up here—this Section Chief is being overly pretentious."

Zheng Changzhang laughed and said, "It's not quite like that; there is a dedicated reception room. Mainly everyone is afraid of falling behind, that the iron ore will be snatched by others, so they voluntarily line up here."

After giving Lu Cheng a brief explanation, Zheng Changzhang clearly knew those few people and exchanged greetings with them.

"Old Zheng, you're here again."

The speaker, holding a briefcase, was a director of a Steel Factory in Ha City, wearing black‑rimmed glasses, and his surname was Fang.

Zheng Changzhang looked somewhat embarrassed; to be honest, he felt ashamed—he had come several times already and still hadn't gotten anything done.

"Old Fang, you came too, right? You were allowed to come, but I wasn't."

Lao Fang wasn't in a hurry; clutching his briefcase he said, "Of course you're allowed to come; I don't mind being close. I mean, you came all the way from Chuncheng; if today the approval still doesn't go through, wouldn't that be a wasted trip?"

"So just like that, you don't need to come either; since I'm nearby, next time there's iron ore, I'll call you."

The other party smiled sweetly and said it nicely, but Zheng Changzhang was not at all appreciative.

Calling to notify him! Who doesn't know iron ore is tight right now; if it actually appears, the scramble would be too fast to even start.

Lao Fang said this so that there would be one fewer person in line, allowing them to get a larger share.

"Your kindness is appreciated, but I'll still come in person."

Lao Fang, standing ahead of Zheng Changzhang, shook his head slightly and said, "I guess today will be a wasted trip; I heard that eighty tons of iron ore were newly mined, but a large local Steel Factory in Ha City has pre‑booked sixty tons, leaving only twenty tons for people like us to split."

Zheng Changzhang glanced backward; it was only just past eight, and a few more Steel Factories' people had arrived, so now there were already more than ten companies in line.

One company couldn't even get two tons, while One Steel Plant was preparing to approve thirty tons of iron ore.

Those thirty tons would only last a month, at best enough to complete this month's production target.

But hearing Lao Fang say that even two tons can't be allocated, which wouldn't last a few days, indeed makes this trip pointless.

Zheng Changzhang looked at the wooden sign hanging outside the Section Chief's office and asked, "Lao Fang, has the Section Chief named Lin arrived?"

He arrived; he came at 7:30 and already one person has gone in.

Just as Lao Fang finished speaking, the first person who had gone in emerged.

Holding an Approval Form, he wore an unhappy expression; nobody had asked, so he muttered to himself first.

"They only approved five tons; this little iron ore is enough for what! They said they'd boost steel output to lay a solid foundation for economic construction, yet they give us this tiny amount. I do want to support national construction, but the reality doesn't allow it…"

Lao Fang, talking a lot, took the floor and said, "That's not bad; at least they gave you five tons. We, who are further back in line, don't even know how many tons we might get."

The person glanced, shook his head helplessly, and left.

Looks like the situation is not good!

Zheng Changzhang looked at the people ahead in line; he was fifth, and felt a bit frustrated, wishing he hadn't eaten breakfast.

He didn't expect everyone to be so proactive; now that it's his turn again, he's afraid there won't be even a scrap left.

Even if the iron ore gets approved, at most it's only a few tons, far short of the plant's thirty‑ton quota.

Zheng Changzhang thought for a moment; this won't do, so he still needs to find Director Lin.

Clearly eighty tons were mined, so why should someone else pre‑book sixty tons? It would be fine if everyone shared equally.

Thinking this, he turned to look at Lu Cheng behind him, but the person who had just been there was gone.

Looking again, the fellow had run to the courtyard's water pool, where he was drawing water and fixing his hair.

"Lu Jingzhang, Lu Jingzhang…"

Zheng Changzhang called out twice, then, having no choice, told the people behind him: "I'll step out for a moment; this one is still mine, so don't cut in line."

The person nodded, letting him go ahead.

When he reached the pool, Zheng Changzhang was extremely impatient.

"Hey, my Lu Jingzhang, how can you still have the energy to fix your hair here? I'm about to die of anxiety."

Without a comb, Lu Cheng could only use his fingers to shape a handsome hairstyle.

"Zheng Changzhang, don't worry; I'm not idle either. Look at my hairstyle—do you think it can win over that female Section Chief?"

Zheng Changzhang was on the verge of tears, and briefly explained the situation he had just learned to Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng blinked: "Only twenty tons left?"

"Yes, the mining seems to have hit difficulties; with just these twenty tons, everyone has to share. One plant might get a few tons; those further back probably won't even qualify for a share."

Lu Cheng also felt uneasy, then thought of something else.

"You just said there were sixty tons already pre‑booked, right? Let's talk to the Section Chief and see if we can get a share from that."

Zheng Changzhang gave a wry smile and said, "I do want to share, but we still have to find Director Lin; asking this Section Chief is definitely useless."

Lu Cheng hesitated instantly—should he really go find Lin Zhenfeng?

"Zheng Changzhang, don't rush; since we're already here, we should try first, see how many tons we can get here, and later we can still talk to Director Lin."

It seems Lu Cheng is unwilling to give up; Zheng Changzhang, already in need of a favor, could only let Lu Cheng try first.

If the trial fails, he'll give up and then can only go find Director Lin.

Zheng Changzhang had no choice but to return to the line; at that moment another person emerged from the office, also holding a signed Approval Form that granted only one ton.

It was probably because that Steel Factory was small, so the allocation was one ton according to its size.

That Section Chief worked quite efficiently; in no time it was Lao Fang's turn again.

Lao Fang's Steel Factory was of considerable size; to secure more iron ore, they spent half a day grinding inside.

When he came out, he was still frowning.

The next turn was Zheng Changzhang's; before going in, he asked one more question.

"How's it going, Lao Fang? How many tons did they approve for you?"

Lao Fang first sighed, then patted the approval form in his hand: "Don't mention it, I thought I could at least get approval for five tons, but in the end they only approved two tons for me."

Zheng Changzhang was somewhat pleased; when others got less approved, he could get more approved.

But he still tried to comfort him verbally: "It's fine, it's better than nothing; worst case, we'll come again next time. Look how many trips I've made already, and I still haven't gotten approval for even one ton."

Seeing that the comfort had no effect, Lao Fang still wore a bitter face; Zheng Changzhang patted his shoulder: "Let's not talk about this anymore, it's my turn now—I need to go in first."

Having said that, he hurriedly called Lu Cheng to go to the office.